


The end is here

by toosmallcage



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:00:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23068885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toosmallcage/pseuds/toosmallcage
Summary: It's 4 in the morning when Sylvain comes banging at Felix's door. Felix was so ready to kick him out of there, but then he saw the blood.----Zombies happened, do you need more explanation?
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 7
Kudos: 59
Collections: And then zombies





	1. Outbreak

Felix's phone went off, startling him out of his dreams. Still very much asleep he reached for the nightstand to turn it off, not immediately registering that it was still too dark, or that the ringtone wasn't that of his morning alarm. He hadn't reached it yet when a loud bang on his door scared off all sleepiness out of him, making him actually jump on his bed to a sitting position and reaching to his bedside for one of the many swords he had in his collection. One that wasn't exactly ornamental, as many of the others adorning different parts of his small apartment, were.

"For fucks sake, Felix, open the door!" A voice called from the hallway outside, it was urgent, borderline panicked, and yet it was as if the person there was doing his best to keep his voice hushed.

Sylvain. Felix rolled his eyes and let out an annoyed sigh as he put down his sword, then finally took a good look at his phone's screen. One of his eyebrow arched when at least a couple dozens texts and missed calls greeted him, all of them from the same number, all of them from Sylvain.

It was also barely four in the morning and that was probably what pissed him off the most. Sylvan _knew_ he had an important day ahead. It was the final of the regional fencing tournament and yet the redhead dared to send him a fucking hundred of drunk texts and calls, and even show up at his door and four in the fucking morning, and for what? Probably because he needed a place to crash in again, probably because his date of the night threw him out after having used him up and the idiot realized he left without his keys _yet again._

Not tonight, Felix thought as he lied down again and covered himself with his blankets trying to mute the insistent, and yet somehow restrained, banging at his door. Then his phone went off again and Felix growled in annoyance, turning it off completely and deciding to rely solely on his alarm clock resting on the small table on the other side of the room to wake him up again at seven.

"FELIX…! I'M FUCKING SERIOUS. OPEN THE DOOR…!" Sylvain finally screamed, the banging getting so loud that the door could fall off any moment now.

"Fuck off, Sylvain…!" Felix yelled back, but he was already up and walking to the door. It was obvious the redhead wouldn't relent and he couldn't have him waking up the entire building at four in the fucking morning and getting him in trouble with all of the neighbors.

"What the fuck do you want?!" Felix opened the door and was shoved backwards and almost falling on his rear as Sylvan all but darted in and slammed the door shut once inside, securing the lock and throwing the bolt and the chain and then moving to the small sofa to push it and block the entrance completely with it.

Felix stood there for an entire minute, frozen and perplexed. All the anger he felt only moments earlier had evaporated when he took a good look at Sylvain. Yes, he was dressed up for a date, black jeans that hugged tight and perfect around his long legs, that long sleeved green shirt that looked annoyingly good on him, his black leather jacket that made his shoulders look broader and his waist narrower. Sylvain was striking as things were, but what had Felix gaping was the way the redhead was coated in what seemed to be blood.

"Help me…!" The redhead cried out trying to hush his voice despite his obvious panic and Felix had enough common sense to move and help him block the entrance while asking questions, instead of doing the later only.

"Sylvain, what did you do?!" Felix asked, trying not to sound as disturbed as he felt.

Once the couch was set in place, Sylvain plopped on it and it looked as if he was having trouble trying to recollect exactly what happened. Felix gave him time. He wandered back to his room and fished a change of clothes for Sylvain. For the first time he felt glad that the redhead had taken a custom in always having a full change of clothes at Felix's place in case stuff happened. Felix also got a wet towel and then returned to the living room, to find Sylvain still spacing out on his couch, pulled against the door, and completely silent. 

Felix sat next to his friend and patiently offered him the wet towel "Sylvain, what happened?" He asked again, softer this time.

Sylvain turned to him and with a shaking hand took the towel and immediately buried his face in it. It was cold and welcoming, and it helped him ground himself enough to start going about the events of that night.

"I was with this girl…" he started, and it took everything in Felix not to roll his eyes or grunt in annoyance, and let him continue.

"I was with this girl at the club. We were having fun, you know? But around midnight she was tired of the crowd and her heels and we left for a hotel…"

 _Of fucking course_ , Felix thought.

"On the way there…" Sylvain continued, his voice getting increasingly unsteady as he progressed "A drunkard bumped on us, or… or at least it seemed to be a drunkard at first. I thought they were too drunk and had accidentally crashed on my date, but then before I could shove them off of her, she screamed and I realized This fucker had bit her on her shoulder…!"

Felix scrunched his nose in disgust and disbelief "She was bitten…?"

"That's a way to say it…" Sylvain gripped the towel hard in his hands, his expression growing more horrific the more he talked "That animal practically chewed off a piece of her arm off! Of course I beat the shit out of them. I just hit them hard with my fist on the face and then we ran for it. I took her to the emergency room and there… Then… T-Thats where…"

Felix's stomach was turning unpleasantly. Sylvain wasn't weak of heart, and if something had him this disturbed it couldn't have been just anything simple. Carefully the dark haired man put a hand on Sylvain's shoulder to help him ground himself, to help him steady enough to keep going.

"What happened…?"

Sylvain turned to him, slowly. His expression was ghastly, his eyes looked almost dead. His mere expression was enough to scare Felix, but then came the rest of the story.

"It turned out she wasn't the only victim that night. The emergency room was packed with people who had been bitten by other people. They were saying whey were just having fun outside, enjoying the start of the weekend like everyone else,when someone suddenly bumped on them and bit them. Some at the street like us, some others at a club or in different places. There were cops there, asking questions, but the victims came from all around and it was impossible to tell what was really happening. I was talking to one of them, holding my date's hand as a nurse cleaned her when, all of a sudden she… ah fuck…"

"Sylvain…" Felix urged him, squeezing his shoulder.

"Fuck, Fe...! She suddenly turned to the nurse and bit her too like she was some rabid dog! This girl I was dancing with only a few hours ago just turned around and gnawed the nurse's throat and… there was blood everywhere. I'm not sure if it was this girl who was screeching, or if it was the nurse, or the cop or myself! When I realized I had been sprayed with that nurse's blood all over!"

What Sylvain was telling him sounded something pulled out straight out of a horror movie and for a moment he thought he was messing around. It couldn't be. It was just impossible that something like that actually happened.

Once reached that point, the words just fell out of the redhead's lips in rapid succession.

"The cop pulled me away and pointed his gun at her but she didn't even flinch, and lunged against him like she was fucking possessed. She bit him, and he shoot her square on her heart and she fell… but then got up again! I was on the floor just looking at how this girl jumped on the cop and started chewing on his neck and I realized then that there were more screams. It wasn't just us. When I looked around people was running everywhere in the emergency room. People were screening and bleeding and… it was hell, Fe. I… I had never seen anything like that. I just ran away. I used one of those metal things where they hang the IVs as weapon to defend myself and made it out of there. Then I realized they were coming out. The bitten, and those who were trying to bite. I tried to reach you but you didn't answer and I couldn't… I couldn't think of anywhere else to go…"

Felix was stunned. He just stared at Sylvain not sure of what to think. It sounded so impossible but he knew his friend. He knew him enough to know he wasn't drunk or drugged or that he wasn't making up all this shit, and yet there was a part of his brain that refused to process the tale. The logical part that kept telling him that it was impossible.

"I know it sounds like I've lost my mind…" Sylvain supplied, as if reading his thoughts "But I swear, Felix, I was there! I saw it happen…"

Then it occurred to Felix that something like that wouldn't just pass quietly, so he ran to get his phone and started browsing the net. He didn't even have to look long, the shocking news were everywhere. Outside, the world was in chaos.

Sylvain jumped from the couch and ran to the terrace door, rolling it open and looked down the five floors that separated them from the ground. Felix followed close behind.

Down there, police cars and ambulances ran around. In the distance, sparks of fire could be seen scattered here and there around the city. It was chaos, but up here the sounds hadn't quite reached, and it also seemed the strange spree of violence hadn't reached this part of the city yet. 

Everything downed on Felix quickly, like being splashed with a bucket of cold water. He walked back inside, dragging Sylvain with him, and closed the window.

"We can't stay here." Felix stated, running to his room and changing clothes into something comfortable and durable, and then threw a backpack to Sylvain from there.

"Kitchen." Felix stated and Sylvan didn't need more explanation. 

The redhead ran to the kitchen and started to go over drawers and cupboards grabbing anything he could find to eat that wouldn't spoil right away. He also filled each one of the water bottles in Felix's collection, methodically setting them on the countertop. It was surreal how he actually knew what to do. Maybe watching horror movies in long marathons hadn't been a waste of time after all.

Felix, meanwhile, busied himself with gathering other basic survival tools that they might need. Batteries for his phone, however long they lasted. First aid supplies such as bandages, disinfectant and some basic meds.

"Where are we going?" Sylvain called from the living room, changing off his bloody clothes into the clean and more comfortable ones.

"For the moment, just out of here. This is the worst place where we could get trapped. Once the chaos reaches this area, leaving will be near impossible." Felix explained as he grabbed his sword and packed another couple of actual weapons hidden amongst his collection.

"We could go to your Father's place." Sylvain suggested even knowing that Felix wouldn't fancy the idea. Still, he also knew Felix was a person of common sense and that he knew that the centuries-old Fraldarius estate was practically a fortress.

Felix grunted, he didn't like the idea, but he knew why Sylvain was suggesting it. They had no clue of how much this violence had already spread, or how much more it would. Reaching his hometown would take them at least a day of driving but they had to go somewhere.

"Your car?" Felix asked, walking back into the living room and throwing a combat dagger at Sylvain, who catched it without trouble and stared at it.

"It's at my place, of course. I didn't want to drive tonight. Felix, are you telling me these things are actual weapons?"

Felix looked at him "Do you think I'm interested in toys?"

Sylvain chuckled and tied the dagger's sheath to his belt in a secure position "Does your father know of this hobby of yours?"

Felix picked up his backpack and some of the bottles of water "Like I give a shit." Then he threw his spare helmet to Sylvain and worked himself on clearing the entrance again. "Come on, we need to get to your car before this gets messier."

Sylvain hurried up and helped him. In only a moment they were down in the parking lot, perching themselves on Felix's bike and somehow managing to accommodate there even with their luggage.

"Hold on tight." Felix warned and then they took off at top speed. There was little time to waste. They were still able to move fast in a bike despite the emergency vehicles running around all over the place, but if they wanted to leave the city in a car, they had to do it now.

Felix was angry, he had been so close to the Nationals and now maybe it would never happen. Another dream unfulfilled, but what else was new…?

+++


	2. Night Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While some are leaving, others are coming.
> 
> \--
> 
> Not much happens here but it was necessary to set what is to follow. Bear with it please.

Maybe leaving in the middle of the night hadn't been such a great idea, however good it seemed at the moment. Maybe even coming to the city of Garregh Mach wasn't a good idea, and coming alone even less, but somehow last night, after his twice-a-week remote appointment with his doctor, it seemed like a great idea. Dimitri had commented it out loud how Glenn had slipped in a phone call that Felix was about to face his final match in the local tournament, only one victory away from the Fencing Nationals. Felix hadn't really told anyone but Glenn about this, and probably only because he knew that Glenn wouldn't be able to be there. That's just how Felix usually did things as of late: facing the challenges in his life head on and by himself. 

He wanted to go. He wanted to be there and support him at least once, especially because he knew how much swordplay meant to his once best friend. Dimitri had told so to his doctor, how much he wanted to be there, how much he'd love to see Felix's fencing again. It had been a long time since the last they even spoke.

"But what if he doesn't want to talk to me? What if he doesn't want to see me?" Dimitri had asked to his doctor over the webcam, full of hesitation, to which he received what would have been the most logical answer and, still, he hadn't thought about.

"You won't know that unless you try. If he rejects you, then nothing changes..but what if he doesn't? What if he actually is happy that at least you came to see him in such a special day?"

Dimitri had spent the next two hours after his appointment thinking about it. His doctor had encouraged him. Maybe it'd be a good opportunity to make up with his old friend, or at least, go outside and enjoy the trip.

"Just make sure to have your medication with you, and if anything happens, call me right away, Dimitri. Call me even if nothing happens, I want to hear how it goes."

It was around two in the morning when he finally made up his mind. He really had nothing to lose. The worst that could happen was an anxiety attack when Felix gave him the cold shoulder, but in the best case scenario, maybe he'd finally be able to get back in touch with one of the many important people he had involuntarily pushed away after his parents died.

So here he was, his backpack full of meds and three fully charged batteries for his cellphone. He was wearing comfortable clothing, only a thick black hoodie and worn black jeans and sneakers. If he could hide his tall stature and broad physique, he'd probably do it. But it'd have to do. Fortunately no one had come to sit near his vicinity, and though he could hear his therapist in his head telling him that me needed to get used to be around people again, he felt grateful for the lack of company.

He would have plenty opportunity to get used to people once he arrived at the tournament, but then he'd hopefully be too focused in watching Felix win to worry about anything else around him.

According to his calculation, he'd be arriving to the city's station somewhere around seven in the morning, and Glenn said the tournament started at nine. That meant he'd have plenty time to find the place and even call his doctor before the entire thing started and get a little refill to his resolve.

He was lucky his doctor was nice enough to put up with his strange outbursts and random calls at any given time, and even encouraged it.

_Whenever you need me, I'll be available for you, Dimitri._

Somewhere around five in the morning the train slowed down. There was an announcement that the trip would be delayed due to troubles in the stations ahead and Dimitri felt his anxiety levels going up and up. What if the delay became severe? What if he wasn't able to get to the city on time? What of he didn't have time to find the gym where the tournament would be happening? What if he arrived too late, after it was all over?

He felt himself getting too nervous so, maybe he'd have to call his doctor sooner than expected. He almost didn't dare. It was way too early and it was likely she was still sleeping, but he had to remind himself strongly that this was his anxiety speaking. His doctor had said multiple times to call him whenever he needed it, no matter the time.

So he pushed the quick dial button on his phone and waited as multiple bad scenarios unfolded in his mind. He didn't have much time to do it, it only took three beeps for the reassuring calm voice of his therapist to answer.

"Dimitri, hello. You're up early today."

"I haven't slept" Dimitri replied and regretted his own words as soon as he realized he put his own foot in his mouth. He was able to hear the disapproving sigh on the other side of the line but no criticism came.

"Are you alright?" His doctor asked instead, because she knew by now that Dimitri only skipped his sleeping meds if he was truly worried about something.

"I'm in a train right now…" the tall blond answered, shrinking a little more in his seat and looking around from under the safety of his hood as if he was being pursued by ghosts. "...I decided to go see Felix."

There was a brief silence on the other side, as if his doctor was thinking about the right words to say next. 

"That's amazing. Who is coming with you?"

"I'm alone…" Dimitri answered with a slightly trembling voice. "I thought I could do it. I mean. It's not that far and… well it didn't seem necessary to ask… anyone."

He was a grown up man, he didn't need a babysitter to walk him around. It couldn't be that difficult to go there on his own and surprise Felix, right? Nope. Turns out he had overestimated himself a little bit.

"Are you doing okay?" His doctor asked again, her tone as neutral as ever, but Dimitri knew she wasn't happy about his decision of going out so far from home all alone.

"I'm… fine, I think. The train is having a delay and it's making me nervous because I don't want to be late."

"Where are you currently?"

"I passed Charon's station a while back. But it's been very slow since. I haven't reached the underground pass yet. I'm not sure how much longer it'll take at this rate. What if I can't make it on time? I don't even know where the gym is yet"

"Do you have the address?"

"I have it."

"Text it to me. I'll find the place for you and send you indications so you can go there straight from the station."

Dimitri wasn't able to hold back the wide smile that crossed his face. "Would you really do that for me? Thank you so much."

"Don't worry. But next time don't go so far away on your own. I know you are capable of taking care of yourself but it'd make me calmer to know you have someone to support you just in case you have a severe crisis."

"I know. I apologise." A sheepish sigh left his chest "I just thought I could do it on my own. I wanted to surprise Felix. If I had arrived with a caretaker that probably wouldn't have done much for the image he has of me."

"I know you care a lot about him, Dimitri. But your well-being is more important right now. You have been making a great progress, don't risk it over something as petty as pride." 

"You're right. I'm sorry professor…" he signed again, but far from feeling stupid and inadequate as it normally happened when someone pointed out at his recklessness, his doctor's words made him feel grounded. It was nice being able to realize his own mistakes without feeling like trash.

"I'm sorry I called you at such a time as well." Dimitri realized that if he had come with someone he probably wouldn't have needed to wake up his doctor at this time. He really didn't think this through as much as he thought he had, it seemed.

"It's alright. I'm usually getting up at six every day anyway, so it didn't make a big difference. Do you need me to keep you company until you reach the underground pass?"

Dimitri blushed brightly under his hood and his smile widened "Is it really alright? I don't want to distract you much from your morning routine…"

The doctor's soft, discrete smile was almost audible "I wouldn't be offering if that was the case."

"Then, I'd really appreciate it."

"Good. Allow me a moment to prepare some coffee. Hang on."

Neither hung up, instead Dimitri waited in silence for his doctor to return to the line, and he distracted himself with the view outside his window. The day was starting to break and the landscape was slowly lightening. It was a calm morning, a little cold maybe, but that would change once the sun reached its peak. He couldn't stop himself from thinking of Felix, and it made him a little nervous all over again, but it helped that he was able to detect excitement rather than just fear in his chest.

The train finally started to move a little faster again, maybe everything would be fine. Maybe he had just played himself again at being so fatalist over a small delay. Everything would be alright.

He heard some noise on the other side of the line, and for a moment he thought his doctor would be back, but another full minute passed before that.

"Dimitri, are you still there?" 

The blond blinked. The tone of his therapist had changed completely. It was sharp, serious, urgent even.

"I'm here. We're moving again. I'll be reaching the underground pass very soon…"

"Dimitri, I need you to trust me. You need to get off that train in the next station and turn around."

"What…? But why…?"

"I just turned on the news and Gar-- Ma--"

"Professor?" Dimitri felt a gap in the stomach. The line was cutting, but when he turned around he realized he had reached the underground pass at last. Of course. That was it.

"You're getting cut. I can't understand what you're saying. Can you hear me, professor?"

"T-- --nd… Th-- Di---"

"I can't hear you. I'll call again when I reach the other side. I'm sorry professor…"

And with that the line was cut. Dimitri was feeling uneasy about the last complete phrase he got from his doctor. Get off, turn around. It made no sense. He had come all this way already and was so close to seeing Felix again. He knew he should trust his doctor but he didn't want to just turn around. 

It was only a couple more stations before he arrived at the city of Garregh Mach. He'd call again once he was out of the mountains and ask properly about the meaning of those words. 

It just didn't feel right to simply leave without meeting Felix after getting this far.

++


	3. Backtracking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some brotherly argument happens here while we all are wondering where are the zombies. Wasn't there supposed to be zombies?

Sylvain tried again. He pressed the buttons and waited. The tone of the line repeated again, and again, and again, until the infuriating voice of the machine picked up again.

_The number that you're trying to dial is currently unavailable…_

With a curse, Sylvain hung up again, slamming the public phone back in place and getting ready to try again. Before he could start pressing buttons again, Felix's knuckles knocked on the box, drawing his attention.

"We have to go, Sylvain."

The redhead knew it, but he stubbornly refused to part from the phone "Just one more try."

Felix's hand snatched the phone from his hand and hung it in place "Sylvain, It's barely past seven on a Saturday. They are likely still asleep."

"The more reason to keep trying! I can't just not let them know what is going on! What if something happens to them?!"

"Even if they answered, what could you do at all? Other than tell them what it's already being said on the TV in every channel? We have to keep moving."

Sylvain hated to admit that Felix was right. That there was nothing he could do even if he managed to reach Mercedes. A part of his mind insisted that they could have made a detour to go to her place and get her and her brother to come with them, but the logical part knew that hadn't been an option. Mercedes lived on the other side of the city, exactly the opposite direction that they intended to go. It was a detour that they couldn't have afforded given the circumstances, but it still felt wrong.

"Maybe we could still…"

"Sylvain." Felix voice was firmer this time, and with a movement of his head he pointed at the steadily increase of activity of the highway and how cars were starting to have to wait in line to have their fuel refilled. Inside the 24-hours small shop someone had turned up the volume of the news. It was starting to get chaotic. The downtown of the city was already in a state of emergency and it wouldn't be long before it spread further and to the outskirts. People were fleeing to take refuge in the old monastery of Garregh Mach which had given its name to the city, but it was only a matter of time before the strange spree of violence reached even there.

Even without words, Sylvain understood what Felix wanted him to see. They needed to keep going before the highway got clogged, or worse, closed completely, because no doubt they would isolate the entire area to contain whatever thing was happening. 

"Look, you can keep trying once we are on the other side of the tunnel. But for now we need to keep going." 

Letting out a defeated sigh, the redhead finally pulled away from the phone. He knew that by then it'd be likely the lines would be too busy, making a call impossible, but what else could he do anymore? 

Felix gave him a nod and turned to walk back to their car, ignoring the strange looks people have him for carrying around a fucking sword like this was one of those movies. Felix didn't care, he actually preferred it that way. It'd keep people away from them for a while.

"Get some sleep, I'll drive."

Sylvain snorted, catching up to him and trying to shove his unrelenting panic to the back of his mind "Fe, you're a terrible driver. No way I'm letting you touch my baby."

Felix paused and turned around, glaring at him "Who was the one who almost got us killed about half an hour ago because he fell asleep on the wheel?"

"I barely got off the road. You're exaggerating…" Sylvain protested, but gave Felix the keys. He knew his prickly friend was right, he hadn't slept in almost sixteen hours now, and he really had almost fallen asleep back there. That was the reason they had to stop, more than refilling the tank.

Felix snatched the keys from Sylvain's hand and got in the driver's seat. True, he didn't particularly enjoy cars, but he could drive enough to get them to the other side of the mountains.

"Please be gentle with her." Sylvain begged as he took the copilot's side "She's a tender baby that needs love and care."

"It's a car, Sylvain." Felix rolled his eyes as he started the engine and begun driving "If only you were this considerate to your conquests…"

"Hey!"

"Sleep already."

Felix was lining the car to get back into the highway when his phone went off. He didn't want to bother with anything and simply tossed it to Sylvain with a free hand.

"Pick up, it's probably Glenn wanting to wish me luck for a fucking tournament that has just gone to hell."

Sylvain looked at the screen, and yes, it was Glenn. "What a good timing, maybe he can help me with Mercie. Hello Glenn!"

"Sylvain?" Glenn's voice sounded surprised, which wasn't really strange considering he had called his little brother "Where is Felix?"

"He's right here, but he's driving. I'll put you on speaker. There."

"Hi Glenn." Felix greeted without emotion, eyes fixed on the road.

"Lix, where are you? I tried to call to your apartment but…"

"We're leaving Garregh Mach. Turn on the TV, Glenn. It'll answer all of your questions. Now, please, can we talk later? I am driving."

"Where are you?" Glenn asked again, his voice had a certain urgency that wasn't really expected, though not surprising.

Sylvain took over "We are on the highway, about to reach the toll to take the underground tunnel. We are going to visit your Dad. Do you think he'll mind taking me in?"

The next words that came through the other side of the line were not what neither of them though they'd be.

"Is Dimitri with you?"

This time, Felix couldn't help to turn and look at the phone, then at Sylvain, then back at the road. "What the fuck are you talking about? Why would Dimitri…?"

And then suddenly Felix knew it, and his blood ran cold in his veins.

"You told him about the tournament, didn't you?"

There was a brief silence, but it spoke more than words. Sylvain also turned pale and stared at Felix, knowing.

"Look, this really isn't the moment to go about it, Lix. He left last night without telling anyone. His therapist called Dad, and then dad had to call me because apparently you blocked his number again. You know, Lix? If you're shameless enough to run back home to take shelter there, then maybe you could at least take his calls."

"I thought this wasn't the time to talk about this!" Felix barked and he had to pull the damn car to the side of the highway again because his hands were shaking, he wasn't sure if it was anger or what. "Maybe if you hadn't told the boar about my stupid tournament like you promised you wouldn't…!"

"I slipped, okay? It was an accident…!"

"This is exactly the kind of thing for which I left…!"

"Er, guys, I really don't want to meddle in but can we go back to the issue here…?" Sylvain's voice broke in and for a moment everything went silent again.

Finally, Glenn spoke again, his voice calm and serious as it usually was. "The last thing we knew is that he was on the train about to enter the underground pass, that was about an hour ago. His train was scheduled to arrive to Garregh Mach station at seven but there were delays. Nor my dad or professor Eisner have been able to contact him yet even though they have been trying for a while."

"Of course not. There's no service under the mountains unless it's a landline. Cellphones are useless there." Felix growled. 

"Landlines aren't good either." Sylvain interjected "I was trying a while ago to call a friend but it's not connecting. Lines must be busy because of… everything."

Glenn let out a frustrated sigh "Guys, do you think you can go to the mountain station and…?"

"No, Glenn. That'd take us off course too much and by the time we get there it'll be impossible to return to the highway before it clogs with cars."

"Lix, he's alone."

"That's not my fucking problem, Glenn. Maybe next time you'll learn to keep your mouth shut."

"Look, I'm not asking you to go find him, I just need to know if his train made it through or if they were turned around!" Glenn didn't mean to yell at his little brother, but he was worried and frustrated and yes, he knew this was his responsibility, but what else could he do? "Goddess, Felix. He… Dimitri wanted to see you, you know? That's why he dared to leave in the middle of the night all of a sudden. You could at least…"

"Stop. Stop right there." Felix voice was low, dangerous. His hands were gripping the wheel so tight all blood had been drained from them.

"Lix…" 

"No, Glenn. I'm… I'm not letting you guilt tripping me there. This is not my responsibility…"

"Felix…" Sylvain called softly, too softly to be heard by Glenn.

"He did it to go see you, to support you in your competition…" the older Fraldarius insisted.

"It's not my responsibility. He's a fucking adult. He got in this mess himself. He came alone and without telling anyone himself. It has nothing to do with me!"

"He's sick…"

"That doesn't mean he's not responsible of his stupid decisions! And I'm not going to risk me or Sylvain getting trapped in this mess because of the recklessness of that boar."

Cold silence.

"Don't call him that, Felix." 

"You know what, Glenn? Fuck him, and fuck you. I should have known you'd be more concerned about him than…" Felix's voice trembles and he had to swallow hard the lump in his throat to stop it from breaking "All the shit that's happening, that you obviously know about, and you are not only not concerned about why I am already here, or if I or Sylvain are hurt. You also want me to turn around and go clean up after a mess you made not caring if we get trapped in this hell. And, you're making me feel guilty because I don't want to do it. Fuck you, Glenn…"

"Lix, that's not…"

"You know what? You're right, I shouldn't be going back to that house. Bye Glenn, hope you and Dad find your beloved Dimitri."

"Lix…!"

Felix took his phone and tossed it through the car's window. It landed on the road and it only took a moment for it to be ran over by another vehicle, crushed, completely destroyed.

Sylvain just sat there in silence, watching Felix trying so hard to hold himself together, hiding his face in his folded arms resting against the wheel. Needless to say they weren't going up north anymore. At least not to where they originally intended to.

"Fe…?" Sylvain called softly, slowly putting a hand on Felix's back so lightly, like touching a wounded cat. Might as well be exactly that what was happening right now.

It took a moment longer for Felix to sit back. His face was dry, no trace of tears. Sylvain couldn't remember anymore when was the last time he saw Felix cry.

He used to cry a lot when they were little.

"Sylvain, when you are pass the mountains, stop and get some sleep, okay? Then just go to my Father's place. He'll take you in."

The redhead blinked "What are you talking about?"

Felix didn't answer, only grabbed his backpack from the back seat and stepped out of the car.

"No, no no no, Felix…!" Sylvain jumped out and ran after Felix, clutching his shoulders and refusing to let go. "You're not going alone! You shouldn't even be going at all. You said it yourself!"

"So I should just leave him alone?!" Felix barked back at him, but his voice was strained.

"You were right, Felix. This isn't your responsibility!" Sylvain insisted, shaking him a little "I'm worried about Dimitri too! But it's not like we'll even be able to find him. He might not even be here anymore, maybe he's already at Garregh Mach!"

"I'm not going to ask you to come with me." Felix voice was quiet, his eyes downcast "Especially not after I made you leave your friend behind…"

"There was no choice, you didn't make me do anything!"

"I'm any case I can't just leave knowing he's around here alone. He's here because of me…"

Again, Sylvain shook his head. "It's not your fault…" 

That was the thing about Felix. He was noble, caring, he tried so hard not to be because it was easier not to care. But no matter how much he tried, he cared so, so much.

"You need to go." Felix said, trying to shake off the redhead, but Sylvain only gripped him tighter.

"I'm going with you."

Felix looked up at him, disbelief in his eyes "What? Why? No. After those things you saw, I'm not going to make you go back there."

Oh, so Felix was worried about him too. He saw Sylvan shaken and scared. He listened of his horrifying experience at the emergency room. He was trying to keep Sylvain safe from it even if it meant he'd have to face those horrors alone to find a man he hadn't talked to in more than five years…

"You're not making me do anything. I'm an adult responsible of my own decisions." Sylvain grinned at him. "Wherever you go, I'm coming with you, Fe. Always."

Their eyes met for a brief moment before Felix lowered his gaze again. It had always been an issue for him to make eye contact for too long and Sylvain would never be tired of how ridiculously endearing it was to him.

Of how much it meant for Sylvain that Felix dared to look at him in the eye whenever he did.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Felix mumbled without any edge in his words, and Sylvain smiled, grabbing his hand and tugging him back to the car.

"I know, but you love me anyway." 

Felix did love him, he couldn't deny it. Secretly he thanked the goddess for Sylvain's existence and the calmness and warmth that the redhead brought to his heart, as unaware as Sylvain seemed to be of it.

Maybe they weren't perfect, but as long as they had each other they would never be alone. That was enough, Felix thought. It was enough.

+++


	4. Under the Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That moment when you are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and you lose your crazy head's medication.

Dimitri opened his eyes to the sound of a voice that he hadn’t heard in a long time, and yet it was so familiar. Painfuly so.

“Dimitri…” It called so softly, and a warm caress tenderly stroked his cheek.

The blond opened his eyes, but everything was so confusing. He couldn’t see anything around him as if the entire world had been swallowed in darkness except him and the person crouching before him, touching his face, calling him back into consciousness. Dimitri’s breath got stuck in his throat, his eyes wide open, pupils fully blown, his mind was trying to process, to recognize this this person but a part of him, still logical enough, tried to remind him it was impossible for them to be there. It was impossible for that hand to be touching his face so tenderly. It was just impossible.

And yet, it didn’t matter how many times he blinked, how much he tried to find an oddity in this scene, before him was Felix.

He was exactly as Dimitri remembered him. His face stern and with that permanent look of annoyance, sharp eyes that refused to look directly into his own. Even the touch of his hand was warm, even if a little rough, as it caressed his face with a tenderness he never thought he’d receive from him again.

Dimitri tried to call his name but, just like last time, his voice broke in his throat and it didn’t come out. He was only able to mouth his name as he tried to move, but his body was heavy, paralyzed and he wasn’t sure why. It was just like last time, when he tried to keep Felix by his side and failed catastrophically.

Felix smiled at him. He _smiled at him_. And that should have been more than enough of an indication that something was wrong, but either his mind didn’t want to acknowledge it or it was just too shocked to realize.

“Felix…” Dimitri finally croaked and managed to move one hand to reach out from where he was, realizing he at last that he was on the floor and couldn’t get up, the darkness around was so black he couldn’t see anything but Felix and himself. Tunnel vision, that’s how his doctor had called it. Everything went black and he was practically blind, able only to see that in which his mind was fixated the most.

That should have been another sign, but Felix was here. Felix was here, he came to find him!

However, the moment his hand weakly tried to touch Felix’s, the dark haired man pulled away and lowered his gaze with a heavy sigh. The image was familiar and Dimitri’s heart speed up and his chest clenched up, and he tried even harder to drag his paralyzed body closer to him. Panic was taking over him, he needed to stop him from leaving. He needed to tell Felix that he was sorry.

“Felix…!”

“I can’t do this anymore…” Felix said, so tired. His voice trembled and his entire body language spoke of exhaustion and defeat. Dimitri’s panic increased.

“Don’t leave…!”

“I can’t do this anymore, Dimitri. I’m… tired…”

Didn’t this happen before already? It probably had, but Dimitri wasn’t sure if it had been a dream, or if it had been real life. He tried again. Move, move, he demanded at himself. He couldn’t understand why he couldn’t get up, why he couldn’t move, so he looked behind him to see.

And his father’s destroyed face smiled at him, all teeth and no lips, one eye hanging from the hole in his head. The smell of iron and charred meat overwhelmed Dimitri’s senses and he screamed. A part of him wanted to kick off that derg of a body that stubbornly clung to him, keeping him trapped and grounded, but it _was_ his father. How could he kick his own father?

“Felix, help me…!” Dimitri cried, but when he turned forward again he was alone. He was alone with a smiling corpse crawling on top of him calling him " _Son, son…!"_

“I can’t do this anymore…” Felix was nowhere to be seen, but his voice echoed in the darkness, disjointed, sad, exhausted and defeated. “I can’t do this anymore, Dimitri. I’m... tired…”

“Felix…! FELIX…!!”

 _“Son_ …” Dimitri’s father spoke again, this time right against the back of his head, so close to his ear. His ragged body weightless and impossibly heavy on his back, clinging to him, calling, calling…

“Help me…” Dimitri whimpered, feeling his mind slipping away. “Felix, Glenn, professor… someone…”

“ _Son…_ ”

Dimitri literally heard something snap inside his head and he lost track of what happened next. When he came back into he found himself standing in the middle of a wreckage, there was fire and debris all around, and dead bodies at his feet. He had a steel rod tightly gripped in his hands, and in front of him there were two people, a man and a woman, staring at him in horror and afraid, like they were not sure if he was a man or a monster.

It was that same look Felix gave him, years ago.

“Shoot him, Claude, just shoot him…! He’s obviously one of them!”

“Hey, buddy, can you understand me?” the man (Claude, she said?) tried hesitantly, he had a gun in his hand and was pointing it at Dimitri, but he didn’t seem like he actually wanted to shoot.

“I…” Dimitri croaked, his throat was dry and he wasn’t sure he even sounded like a person. His eyes lowered to the rod in his hands and he instantly dropped it like it was on fire. “Goddess…!”

Claude relaxed visibly and lowered his gun, giving a reassuring smile to the woman with him. Dimitri then saw she was holding what looked like an improvised mace, which was really only a piece of concrete attached to a piece of metal rod very similar to the one he was holding just now.

“See? I told you he was good.” Claude said “Zombified people don’t use weapons or tools they just… you know!” And he moved his arms frantically like he was clawing and biting at the air.

But the woman didn’t seem convinced and she continued looking at Dimitri with suspicion “Normal people don’t do the stuff he did either…”

Dimitri was at a loss and, once again he looked around. He had no idea what happened at all. What happened? What had he done? Last thing he remembered was he had closed his eyes for a moment to rest after passing the mountains station.

“You okay, pal?” the man drew his attention again. Dimitri was finally able to take a good look at him. Tanned skin and green eyes, and a laid back smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. 

“I… what happened…?” Dimitri regretted his question as soon as he uttered, because it made him sound crazy. Only crazy people didn’t know how they got to where they were.

Claude, however, seemed completely unbothered, and walked closer to take a better look at him. “Did you hit your head? Come here, big guy, let me see…”

“Careful, Claude, he could be infected…”

“Tsk, it’s fine. If he was infected he would have turned already.” The man retorted as he moved and brushed Dimitri’s hair out of his face to take a good look at him.

Dimitri flinched and stepped back, tripping on a piece of debris and falling flat on his ass.

“Hey, calm down. It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you, buddy. Just want to check if you’re hurt.”

“What happened…?” Dimitri insisted.

The woman, seeming to finally give up, approached too and putting down her mace, rummaged in her bag for a piece of clothing that she used to clean the blood off Dimitri’s face.

“There was a train crash.” She started to explain, voice stern but patient “The train that was coming from Enbarr lost control and it collided with the train arriving from the north. Many died, you are a lucky one.”

“Just as we are.” Claude interjected, as he confirmed there were no bites on Dimitri’s body and that his injuries weren’t serious. “You’re a sturdy one, huh?”

“The trains… crashed…?” Dimitri echoed, his mind having a big deal of a struggle to catch up. “How…?

The other two paused and looked at each other before tuning to Dimitri as if he had suddenly grown an extra head “You don’t know…?”

“Know what…?”

They exchanged another look and it made Dimitri’s anxiety grow bigger. Instinctively he reached back to get a couple pills from his backpack and that’s when he realized it was gone.

Shit.

“What’s going on?” he insisted, his voice getting deeper, more menacing. It made the woman step back but Claude pinned him in place with a look.

“It’s a complicated story, and you’re probably not going to believe it, but you have to be strong, got it, friend…? We need to stick together if we want to make it out of here.”

“Dimitri. My name is Dimitri.”

That earned him a warm smile from the tanned man “Cool. I’m Claude, and this nervous lady here is…”

“My name is Edelgard Von Hreslveg.”

“But you can call her El” Claude interjected.

“No, you can’t.” She protested. 

“I apologize but, would you please just tell me what’s going on…?”

Claude sat on the floor in front of Dimitri, which made Edelgard cringe “Can we keep moving? This isn’t exactly the place to be having a conversation.”

“Relax, we are safe for now. We would have been attacked already if this place wasn’t good.”

“Attacked?” Dimitri was more and more confused.

“Alright, this is what I know, which isn’t much but probably still more than what you do.” Claude took a moment to chew on his words, because this wasn’t an easy tale to tell “The city of Garregh Mach has been overrun with zombies…”

Dimitri blinked once, twice. “Excuse me…?”

Claude let out a humorless sigh “I know how it sounds, I hardly can believe it myself, but I’m telling you the truth. The entire train wreckage happened because of it. It’s in the news, look. Take a look.” He explained, taking out his phone and showing his feed to Dimitri.

With horror, the blond saw the images and articles and notifications. If this was a lie, it was way too elaborated. It was impossible that the entire world had confabulated to pull the most disgusting prank ever to him. And what reason would even Claude or Edelgard have to mess with him? He didn’t even know them, and they didn’t know him.

“No one is sure yet how it happened.” Edelgard commented, still keeping her eyes open for any sign of trouble. “It seems it started at some point around midnight last night, but there haven’t been any official reports yet. All we have is hearsays of witnesses, those who are still alive at least.”

“Almost the entire city of Garregh Mach is in complete chaos.” Claude continued “People has been fleeing while they can but the roads are clogged and, well…” he signaled around with a wide movement of arms “We just lost the trains too.”

“What are those things? A-Are they really zombies?” Dimitri asked, returning his phone to Claude.

Edelgard’s stern voice answered “That’s how people is calling them, because of how closely they resemble to the ones in movies, but we don’t really know what they are exactly. All we know is that they are infected with something that transmits through bites, or that’s what they said in the social media. I haven’t tried to test it myself.”

Claude nodded “It seems it’s some sort of infection that spreads when you get bitten by one of them, and it makes you lose your mind and attack others, like some kind of rabid strain, see? People go completely crazy and then you have to… incapacitate them to stop them.”

“Incapacitate them?” Dimitri felt like a broken record, but he couldn’t voice his questions any better, this was completely absurd.

“Kill them.” Edelgard clarified, swinging her rudimentary mace “You have to deliver irreparable head trauma. They seem completely immune to pain and even if you shoot their hearts they keep getting up, like real zombies. It’s disgusting.”

“You aren’t kidding, are you?” 

“Why would we be making up all this stuff?” She barked impatiently “Don’t you find it odd that despite the derailing no emergency services have arrived yet? That there’s so little people around here despite what just happened?”

Dimitri still couldn’t believe any of this, but he could vaguely remember his doctor saying something with an urgent voice before the call got cut. Still, the entire situation was absurd. He was supposed to be coming to Felix’s tournament, he was supposed to…

“Felix…!”

Dimitri jumped back to his feet in an instant, looking alarmed and ready to take off. Claude stood up right after him and held his arm to keep him in place “Hey, hey, easy, big guy…!”

“I have to go. My friend lives in the city, I need to find him!”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Edelgard admonished “Right now what he have to do is find the way to get out of this place alive. If your friend lives in the city, he’s probably dead by now. There are zombies everywhere!”

“I hate to say it, but she could be right.” Claude interjected. “And even if your friend was okay, if you go there you’ll only get yourself killed. I don’t think he’d like that, right?”

“He… wouldn’t care if I died…” Dimitri admitted and earned an odd look from Claude and Edelgard. He wondered if it had been fine to say Felix was his friend when they hadn’t spoken at all in years.

“Look, I don’t know what’s your situation and it’s none of my business either, okay? But there’s nothing you can do right now. And, even if your, er, friend, doesn’t care if you die, isn’t there other people who will actually care? Other people who might be looking for you like crazy right now?”

There was people like that, a part of Dimitri knew that, but he was starting to tunnel again and couldn’t think of anything else. And so, he picked up his long metal rod and shoved Claude off. “I’ll go even if I have to do it alone…!”

He started walking, and behind him he heard Claude trying to stop him and Edelgard telling him to leave him alone. They didn’t have time to waste on people with a death wish.

 _“Do you regret surviving, Dimitri?”_ the calm and collected voice of his therapist asked in his mind.

The tall blond stopped in his tracks and gripped the rod hard in his hand. 

“It’s not that I regret surviving, professor. I just feel guilty…” he had answered.

_“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t cause it.”_

“But it doesn’t stop me from feeling guilty.”

 _“Dimitri…"_ she said, softly placing a hand on his head. _“Pushing people away from you won’t protect them from things that you can’t control.”_

“At least that way they won’t suffer me either…”

_“Is that why you pushed Felix away…?”_

Dimitri shook his head. No, he didn’t intend to do that to Felix. Not to Felix, of all people. He wanted Felix to stay.

“Hey, you okay big guy?” Claude’s voice called again, behind him, one hand softly touching his arm, bringing him back from his reverie. 

“No…” The blond admitted and hid his face behind one of his hands. He was exhausted, and lost, and alone, and he was in the brink of a withdrawal syndrome because he lost his bag and his meds, and his phone too.

Claude gave him a friendly smile, even if Dimitri wasn’t looking “Hey, we all are trying to get out of the station anyway, right? Why don’t we all stick together for now and then we decide what to do? Does that sound good?”

_It’d make me calmer to know you have someone to support you in case you have a severe crisis…_

Taking a deep, deep breath, Dimitri finally nodded and looked at Claude, whose smile grew a little wider, a little calmer. Then he eyed Edelgard, who was standing where he left her, her arms crossed and a critical look fixed on him. “Is that fine to you…?”

The woman shrugged “Just don’t drag us back.”

“Thank you…”

“Alright, let’s go then!” Claude cheerfully clapped his hands and pulled Dimitri in the other direction. “Let’s try the east exit, hopefully that area isn’t in ruins or overrun by brain-eaters.”

Dimitri gripped his rod tight in his hands and glanced back one last time before following the other two. He knew he should tell his new companions about his condition but he didn’t want them to pity him.

Ah, there it wasa his pride talking, even though by this point he shouldn’t have had any left.

If only he could call his doctor. If only he remembered the number. If only he hadn’t recklessly left alone in the middle of the night…

 _I can’t do this anymore_ , Felix said that day, and Dimitri had silently vowed he’d change, that he’d get help, that he’d get better. Still, it seemed not much had changed. Nothing had really changed.

+++

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure how often I'll update this or how long it'll be. This entire idea mostly happened in a whim so I'm using it as a stress-free excercise. 
> 
> If you like it and want to see more, feel free to comment! Theories are also welcome.


End file.
